The dominant eye !

 

During one of my talks on similarities and differences  between  the human eye and the camera delivered to students of photography some years ago, two questions  emerged. When I took to bird photography,  these appeared  more relevant and over the years their explanation got richer in content. Therefore, I avail this opportunity to share these questions and their explanation with birders as well as photo-enthusiasts.

I assume many of us are aware that both the eye and the camera have a lens, an aperture, both receive light and have a system  to see that light as an image. Sounds interesting, but there is a need to look beyond it to satisfy the inquisitive minds.

The first question is,  do we have a dominant eye  and the second , while composing photos why we focus on eye, may it be a human eye or that of a bird or an animal.

Experts  say that about 70 per cent of us have right eye as the dominant eye and rest of the population either have the other eye as the dominant  eye or none of their eyes is dominant. Here the dominant eye means the eye with which we prefer to see  or say  with which we feel comfortable to see through the view finder of the camera. In other words, it enables us to provide a greater input to our brain. Therefore, it is essential for photographers and shooters to be aware of their dominant eye, if any, and they must use it appropriately.

If we focus our subject  with the dominant eye and with the other keep watching the activities around the subject, it will enable us to be  aware of the possible distractions around. Also, there will be no need to keep an eye closed all the time which may be inconvenient and tiring. Some shooters and experienced photographers emphasise  the need to shoot with both eyes open as that splits vision. While we see through the view finder with one eye, we keep watching around with the other. Its a bit difficult, but can be practiced. Shooting with both eyes open is not like getting a binocular equipped with a camera because in that case vision of both eyes will be controlled  for space around. The other eye should not see through any optical devise. One may shoot with one eye or with both eyes open, it is necessary to be conscious of our dominant eye.

The camera manufacturers have designed camera bodies keeping in mind two aspects. One, most people have right eye as the dominant eye and secondly majority  of us are right hander. Its the reason that  camera bodies have most of the buttons to their right side.

Second question, ever  wondered  why we focus on eye or why every photo-enthusiast is advised  to ensure that the eye is  prominently highlighted in an image. I remember, initially I too was advised by some of the experienced bird photographers to focus on eye of the bird and ensure that the eye has catch-light, but it was left up to me to understand why ? To me  that was a half backed serving.

I know a few bird photographers who would delete those photographs that do not show  eye of the bird as a significant  part of the body or the eye is without  a catch-light. They  are right in doing so, but why we should focus on the eye ?

The focus system of cameras is designed in such a way that it acts successfully if focused on contrast. The eye, for instance the  Iris and the sclera provide good contrast to let the camera focus without hunting.  While considering the significance of sharp eyes in a photograph, over the years some camera manufacturers  have added a unique feature of AF Face Detection and even AF for Animal Eye. With a view to quickly facilitate the existing users of a few camera models, a manufacturer had introduced a firmware upgrade for Animal Eye AF. It can’t be termed as a marketing gimmick, because sharp eye holds the key to a good photograph. Another camera manufacturer brought out two new models of its digital camera with similar features and the experts say these have the capability to detect and track even the eye of a dragon fly. This is a technological revolution as its not easy to detect eye on faces of animals having different shapes.

The eyes aptly reflect emotions and personality of the subject. Its like silence speaks louder than words. Apart from this, the eye’s location is such that  if we focus on it, we get such a depth of field which makes  both nose and  ears look sharp. In case of birds, the area around the eye would get good sharpness. Also, the colour and shape of the eye, especially of birds help  in their identification, say a male or female. Here a word of caution. Although sharpness of an image depends on several factors, yet emphasis should be to get sharp eye preferably with glitter.

Although its important for every photographer to understand his gear, it takes months to understand a camera, its equally important to be considerate about the factor of dominant  eye, may it be of the photographer or that of a bird or animal in an image. Remember, camera manuals do tell us how to adjust the dioptre at the view finder, but they leave it to the user to think of the dominant eye.

Honorary Distinctions

 

The World Photography Day-2020  became unforgettable for me as two more honorary distinctions  were conferred upon me by the Wildlife Photography Association of India (WPAI) and Tricity Photo Art Society (TPAS), Chandigarh. It was because of the guidelines concerning Covid-19 that these distinctions were awarded online.

My sincere thanks to the Board of Directors of WPAI and Mr.Chitrangad Kumar for electing me as Hon. WPAI. I am also grateful to TPAS team, especially Mr Vinod Chauhan, Mr Deep Bhatia and Ms Neetu Katyal for the distinction of Hon. Master - TPAS (Hon. M TPAS).

Two years ago, on this very day-the World Photography Day, I had received my first honorary distinction of Excellence-USPA awarded by United States Photography Alliance at a special function organized by Andhra Pradesh Photography Akademi, Vijayawada. I am grateful to the USPA and General Secretary of the Akademi, Mr Tamma Srinivasa Reddy.

The Elusive Black Redstart

 

Mirzapur check dam near my native place Chandigarh is a well known hot spot for birding. Situated at a distance of about 25 kms  in district Sahibzada  Ajit Singh Nagar in Punjab, it is easily accessible by road. I have been to this hot spot twice, first on July 4, 2020 a cloudy day to just see the location for birding in future and second time it was in the morning hours of July 25,2020 with a hope to make some photographs of birds. On both trips I accompanied my friend Lalit Mohan Bansal, a fellow birder of Chandigarh Bird Club.

My second trip to Mirzapur Check Dam became unforgettable when one day I received an email from an ace birder Mr S.S.Cheema. His email was via e Bird and in response to my observations uploaded in my e bird checklist. Mr Cheema wrote that he was writing about the observation concerning  species Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) dated July 25, 2020 at location  Mirzapur check dam, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India. He had mentioned the concerned URLhttps://ebird.org/checklist/S71795446 and pointed out “There have been no recordings of Black Redstart in the months of Jun till Mid Sep in this region. This record is very interesting in the Mirzapur Dam area. May I please request you if you can please describe the observation or upload a picture. That will help us immensely and will also help us study the implications of birds in this area at a time when it is otherwise not observed. Photos and audio recordings are the best possible supporting information, so if you do have those please do upload them to your checklist.Once your checklist has been edited to include additional details, I will be able to give this sighting additional consideration. Minimum standards of documentation are required for observations to be used publicly, although they still will appear in your personal lists.

“Thank you again for your contributions to eBird India—your sightings help to make eBird useful to millions of people each year, providing real-time bird sightings and powering eBird science around the world” he concluded.

When I received his email I was out of town, but luckily I had my record and equipment with me which enabled me to respond quickly and that too with the photograph of the Black Redstart made at the said location on the said day.

I being a novice birder and poor at identification of birds, I was a little disturbed  with his query fearing that I may not be wrong. Although in my reply to him, I had explained how I had identified the bird, but before sending him the digital image in question, to be doubly sure, I had once again checked it for id and it was correct. 

Mr Cheema promptly responded to my reply with a cheerful note which made the incident unforgettable for me and turned out to be a great learning experience. I like to quote here how he replied.

“The picture is very clear and will do the needful. Thanks a ton for prompt reply. Only request is - please do upload the media on the ebird site also if possible”. I followed his advise and edited the checklist by uploading  the said image of the Black Redstart. 

I had kept  Mr Bansal   posted about the interaction with Mr Cheema.

Although the story ended with my uploading that image to my ebird checklist and thanking Mr Cheema for his guidance, yet I being a novice learnt another lesson. Ttry to photograph all birds that you see at a birding spot, may these be record shots. Or keep record of all sightings or calls of birds. The Black Redstart was no longer elusive.

 Subhash Sapru

 

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you

Its always fun to work in a group as group activities make for a friendly experience where noticing and sharing is part of good etiquette. We all learn from each other and in doing so even the boring tasks become easy and interesting.

I remember, when initially  I decided to learn birding in a systematic manner, I opted to join the Nature Bird Walk, a monthly activity of the local bird club for the novice and school children, but after attending two such walks I discontinued it. Why ? I soon realized that although the experienced  members of the Club, who conduct these walks, have wonderful knowledge and style to educate others, yet most of the participants, irrespective of their age, know a little about the birding etiquettes . I questioned myself, will it not be good if  apart from apprising the participants about various aspects of different species of birds, the inquisitive minds are also made aware of do’s and don’ts of bird watching. This could be easily done by  simply handing over a printed leaflet on do’s and don’ts to the team leader to  prevent the beginners  from becoming a nuisance to others. Also, the efforts made for a successful walk will not be wasted.

While birding, one has to be reasonably quiet, follow the etiquette of not staying at one place too long, prefer to make space for others, look at the bird or take photos and then move on. But  why ? Because there may be someone waiting to use the same spot you found to be so good. This occurs often at popular birding hot spots. The flip side of the story is that  those polite may miss  some nice shots because the other person stayed too long where someone too wanted to photograph from, and then it was time to leave with the group. One must learn  not to get in line of sight of other birders or photographers without any purpose. If you want to be closer to a particular bird or a flock of birds, discuss with other birders or photographers in low tone or in a language of signs as your hasty move may make the birds fly away. Or may the photographers agree to take turns at the location. Or too much wait for a turn to make a photo may result into a disappointment, if  in the meantime the bird flies away. But that’s a matter of chance. Remember, you are not only a part of the group, but also in a territory of birds where they  have their own rules and regulations  and they expect others to understand these.

In these days of Covid-19 pandemic, the prevailing concept of social distancing may also educate birders not to stand in front of someone or cross  who may want to photograph or have a clear look at the bird, thus blocking the view. Don’t ruin someone else’s pristine catch.  This is especially important  when you’re on a field trip with your fellow members or on any such trip. Always make a point  to move after having a look at the bird or taking photos instead of standing there looking around.  Many times there is someone waiting for you to finish even when you didn’t realize it. There is also a possibility that you may wait until the others have left. It is better to follow good common sense for birding or photography when you’re with  others.

Subhash Sapru

The author is Associate of Photographic Society of America, USA.

Why I photograph birds ?

Ever since I have taken to photography, I never questioned myself about my growing passion for this form of expression, but now the more I go out to make images of birds the more I question myself for trying to be more with birds to observe their behavior and body language. Although still I can’t identify most of the birds from their respective call and body shape, as most birders do, yet their chirps and actions fascinate me, make me follow them, admire and capture their beauty with my camera. I wish if I could respond to their calls and understand their communication skills and get reply to my simple question, why I photograph them.

When I put the same question to a few birders, who also photograph birds, a few of them too had same question lurking in their unconscious minds, but the reply was like “the show must go on”. Perhaps, like me most of them too had have no conscious intention. They simply enjoy the thrill of watching and photographing birds.

My question becomes more relevant when I look back to the days when I took to photography seriously and my images began to make a mark at international level. However at times I do compare bird photography with another challenging genre of photojournalism, my favourite. When I took up journalism as my career, those were the days when bosses in media houses used to assign crime beat  to the new comers because that enables them to be more alert and quick, inquisitive  and work in inhospitable conditions, test their own potential, learn investigation skills and more about different aspects of their profession. When I took to bird photography a bit seriously, in my early sixties and that too after suffering a stroke, it was evidently clear to me that I would be stepping in a challenging arena where I would have to grasp in dark and may find it difficult to satisfy my desire to keep moving and exploring this new world of birds. Soon I realized that bird photography is not easy, especially if you go beyond making only record shots to get the  species identified.  It is best learned over time, slowly and in stages. Indeed, there’s no substitute for starting out as a dedicated birder, learn to find pleasure from being in the company of birds. I was aware that I would have to follow a two pronged strategy aimed at acquiring information about a variety of birds, their species and behavior on one hand and on the other emphasis would have to be laid on upgrading my photography equipment and skill. Thanks to the Chandigarh Bird Club (CBC) for helping me in realising my aspirations despite my initial inhibition and limitations. In my heart of hearts I am more thankful to the one who introduced me to bird photography and more so to the guiding spirit who kept motivating me to dispel my inhibitions and continue to be a part of the CBC. Its like getting wings and learn in the company of some of the seasoned  birders.

I strongly believe that we all learn from each other and we must share our knowledge. To me, like photography, birding is also a stress buster, enhances alertness and the sense of patience. It’s a known fact that birds have inspired many scientists to gift remarkable inventions to the humanity. But the reply to my question does not lie wholly in the scientific aspects of birds.

I am aware that bird photography has many technical challenges. Its necessary to understand the equipment, make the complex calculations  promptly to adjust the critical parameters, anticipate behavior of birds and be prepared for surprises which may either be rewarding or disgusting.

Those bird photographers who, like me, live in urban areas, would agree that we pay the price as we  have to go outskirts to see and photograph birds. But still we are lucky for being able to visit some of the near  by birding hot spots and be a part of the universally accepted birding activities. Such activities may these be in a group or for an individual, can’t yield desired results if we are in a hurry. I have observed that we must acknowledge the priorities of birds, their rules and ways of going about things. Like a photojournalist or a sports photographer, we must do home-work before encountering a particular situation or an assignment. I have learnt to go well prepared not only with the equipment, but also with adequate knowledge of how these species behave and what are their likes and dislikes. Moving with care and sensitivity is something that many birders enjoy. Also, it forces us out of our usual habits and routines.

Many non-birders assume that bird photography requires a lot of patience. In my opinion spending time with birds is an inherently rich and rewarding experience, but at times it can get uncomfortable. What non-birders don’t seem to get is that when our senses are attuned to birds and the natural environment there are few dull and monotonous  moments. At times we are fully engrossed in following, tracking and monitoring what’s happening around. In case, after making a few trips to photograph birds, I begin to feel some pressure and need respite from monotonous routine, I give a break to myself  so that I continue to photograph birds with an added zeal. This period of break enables me to introspect  and understand what good or bad I had committed in my birding trips.

While photographing birds, at times, I try to interact with them, especially when I find one posing for a photograph or giving me enough time to be photographed. Its similar to the  interaction we are advised to make with a human being while making a portrait. Such  one-to-one interaction, a bit of murmur,  gives time to observe, admire beauty and refine technical adjustments. Its also about the profound respect that I have for these beautiful   creatures. It makes me optimistic   that they will not disappoint me.

To me, bird photography is not really about the subjects at all, rather, it’s ‘all about how I make images of birds, my intent and yearning for bird photography. I avoid to envy even those who while shooting in a group try to keep me at a distance fearing my image would be similar to theirs. My  primary focus is on accumulation  of tokens of self-worth and this seems the reply to my question.

-Subhash Sapru

Hon. EUSPA., APSA,PPSA,AIIPC